Lawsuits against Linux?

[Newby]

http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/03/27/1826219&from=rss

I think it's absolutely pathetic that Ballmer would sue something that's free. Is he really that scared of a little competition?

I'd personally be trying to find ways to screw Apple versus Linux...

[Warrior]

I hope he does it, besides the only one affected would be those who sell Linux for profit..so I don't get you trying to get Linux some pity. If they violate patents that windows has then he should go ahead and sue them, they arn't exempt from the law.

[MyndFyre]

I hope he does it, besides the only one affected would be those who sell Linux for profit..so I don't get you trying to get Linux some pity. If they violate patents that windows has then he should go ahead and sue them, they arn't exempt from the law.

Torvalds would be affected if he licenses Microsoft IP in the Linux kernel.  That'd be hard to prove, though.

[Newby]

I hope he does it, besides the only one affected would be those who sell Linux for profit..so I don't get you trying to get Linux some pity. If they violate patents that windows has then he should go ahead and sue them, they arn't exempt from the law.

So those who distribute it freely would go untouched? Good!

[rabbit]

[...] and already owns more than 4000 patents, including many patents on fundamental, but trivial technologies, like double clicks.

Wtf?

[GameSnake]

I read that too. Bill Gates owns double clicking?!

[MyndFyre]

I read that too. Bill Gates owns double clicking?!

I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a judge to uphold that patent, primarily because his office couldn't enter the data if they did.

[iago]

See, the problem is that too many stupid things get patented so patents become a joke.

They should do what FreeBSD did and move to Canada

[Sidoh]

See, the problem is that too many stupid things get patented so patents become a joke.

They should do what FreeBSD did and move to Canada

Haha, that's a good idea.

[deadly7]

Hahaha.  Steve Ballmer is a funny guy.

Ballmer: One, people value their time. Our stuff does more, and they like that. Two, people value their time, and those [free] things tend to be clunky. Let's say you think you can save $50. And then you go and waste three hours. You tell me how quick that payback is. You can sketch that out at the enterprise level as much as you can at the individual end-user level. So people value their time, and people value their capability. Frankly, people value not only the compatibility our stuff has with itself, but they value the add-ons and the third-party customization that people have done. As long as we keep pushing the pace of innovation and delivering that value, I think we have a great opportunity.

Right.  For $150~ (I didn't actually buy XP mind you, but it would be the same time for install ) I had to install Windows 3 times and waste four hours doing so.  Right, people value their time, which is why they don't install Windows.  Linux took two tries (the first one I didn't install the un-gzipper program so it broke the package install) at a total of ~2 hours.  And that was a first time install, too. Rocked?

[Sidoh]

There are more dosile (and more sensible) reasons that Windows is more useful than Linux in some cases.  Ballmer is an idiot, if you ask me.

[MyndFyre]

Hahaha.  Steve Ballmer is a funny guy.

Ballmer: One, people value their time. Our stuff does more, and they like that. Two, people value their time, and those [free] things tend to be clunky. Let's say you think you can save $50. And then you go and waste three hours. You tell me how quick that payback is. You can sketch that out at the enterprise level as much as you can at the individual end-user level. So people value their time, and people value their capability. Frankly, people value not only the compatibility our stuff has with itself, but they value the add-ons and the third-party customization that people have done. As long as we keep pushing the pace of innovation and delivering that value, I think we have a great opportunity.

Right.  For $150~ (I didn't actually buy XP mind you, but it would be the same time for install ) I had to install Windows 3 times and waste four hours doing so.  Right, people value their time, which is why they don't install Windows.  Linux took two tries (the first one I didn't install the un-gzipper program so it broke the package install) at a total of ~2 hours.  And that was a first time install, too. Rocked?

I think yours is an exceptional case.  Because you're a LOSER.

[Feanor]

Microsoft will never bring a lawsuit againts Linux. It is just silly, and there is no money to gain by sueing linux.

[deadly7]

I think yours is an exceptional case.  Because you're a LOSER.

Jeez Myndy, so harsh.

[AntiVirus]

Microsoft will never bring a lawsuit againts Linux. It is just silly, and there is no money to gain by sueing linux.

Well, would they actually be sueing Linux or would the be sueing the people who sold linux with things that violate Microsoft's patents?